


The Bravery of a Dying Soldier

by weeplittleleonhardt



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen, Implied Character Death, bad language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-17
Updated: 2013-12-17
Packaged: 2018-01-04 23:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1086810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weeplittleleonhardt/pseuds/weeplittleleonhardt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he does go, he goes out in a blaze of fucking glory. Not cowering in fear waiting to be eaten. He dies victoriously.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bravery of a Dying Soldier

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Cassey, my editor/beta, who can be found here; http://maggiee2442.tumblr.com/ and here; https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4079984/Maggiee24  
> I hope you enjoy, feel free to let me know what you liked and what you didn't.

So this is it? He was going to die like this? Like a useless, broken doll, lying in a pool of his own blood. “This is ridiculous” he thinks. He blames it all on stupid fucking yeager. If the arrogant little shit hadn’t convinced him to join the fucking scouting legion he wouldn’t be in this fucking mess. He wouldn’t be losing life quicker than he was losing blood. He wouldn’t be drawing slow, aching breaths as he wonders where the fuck all the titans are.  
It wasn’t really Eren’s fault, it wasn’t really anyone’s; how he came to be in this situation. Death is part of being in the scouting legion. But he always thought, even if it was only in the very back of his mind; that he would get out of this alive. He knew people died killing titans, but he didn’t think that it would ever happen to him.  
‘Don’t be a fucking idiot Kirstein, get the fuck up, fight damn it! Don’t let this be for nothing.’ He muttered, getting increasingly angered by his utter uselessness. He tried getting up, causing the slightly dulled pain in his left leg to come into a roaring sharpness. He crumpled, but he was not done. Favouring his right leg, barely holding himself up, he was able to stand up.

He could walk, just, and his gear was thankfully intact. He grabbed his swords as a fierce wave of adrenaline washed over him. He took a few more shaking steps, stumbling and falling more than once but still, he persisted. He shot his line, thinking of taking down as many goddamned titans with him. He shot his line to the highest building he could find, looking for the titans. He found them.  
About five hundred metres away, was a seven metre class, chasing after someone. He charged, reaching it in record time and dodging the burning hot arm that reached for him. He shot his line through its head and landed on top of it before jumping down its back and slicing through the weak spot. It went down and almost crushed one of his comrades, who only just got out of the beast’s way. 

“Jean? I-is that y-”Connie asked, only to be cut off by Jean.  
“Go Connie, take down as many as you can, don’t hesitate, go find Sasha if you must… It’s been good.” He shot off towards the nearest titan before Connie could say anything else. He fought off the urge to close his eyes and succumb to the dizziness he was feeling. He wouldn’t, couldn’t do that to his squad mates. He must live, at least until he killed enough titans this one, last time.

Next target, twelve metre class titan. Its face was twisted in a horrid parody of a vicious smile; making its way towards where most of the scouts were, trying to find a way into Eren’s damned basement. Luckily it was a fair way away so it was pretty easy to attract its attention and lead it astray. He slashed the beast’s Achilles tendon before he stabbed the back of its neck multiple times. He spared a glance of disgust at the rotting corpse before shooting his line again; this time going for a target closer to where most of the scouts were. He wouldn’t give up.

A thirteen metre, then an eight metre, then a ten metre, he was in a frenzy, slicing down titan after titan. They all went down fast. He stopped taking small breaths to calm down, just losing himself to his anger. He did however, send looks to where his comrades were. Protecting them, as though he was an archangel, heaven’s strongest; as though his gear was an illusion and he was moving through the air with strong wings. He was their archangel. A dying archangel of course, but he would defend his comrades, his friends, until he took his very last breath.

He could feel himself losing to his wounds, his right leg ready to give out after holding up most of his weight. The now dulled pain in his left leg came into a sharp focus whenever it was jolted, which, unfortunately was very often. He was not going to come out of this on top, he knew, but he just-. He just wanted to fucking survive, for once, couldn’t he just fucking live. If only this once.

“Of course not, get a hold of yourself, you’re a man, not a shit stained brat anymore. Fight. They deserve that much from you, you coward!” He was yelling, he couldn’t lower his voice. Attracting the attention of the titans nearby, he noticed belatedly. This gave him an idea. A bad one, admittedly, but still, what did it matter? If he was going to die, he would die by his own hand. Not the Commander's or the lieutenant's or any fucking squad leaders'. 

“ALL RIGHT YOU FUCKING PIECES OF SHIT! COME GET ME! I’LL FUCKING KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU FUCKERS!” Tears were streaming down his face, but he was angry, he was enraged that he was going to die like this. ‘Eren would be fucking proud.’ he thought bitterly, realising what he had said. The little shit would pull a stunt like this. He couldn’t even be himself in his last moments. He heard the others screaming at him, telling him to come to where they were. That he would die; that what he was doing was suicide

“Damn it Jean! Come here! NOW!” Eren. That was Eren. He looked like he was going to bite himself. Jean couldn’t let him do that. He was not going to let humanity’s last hope die because of him.

“STAY BACK! I'VE GOT THIS. DO YOUR DAMNED JOB YOU IDIOT! I’M GOING TO DIE ANYWAY. LET IT BE ON MY OWN FUCKING TERMS! YOU STAY BACK!” He screamed, his voice breaking halfway through. The titans were closing in. Now was his chance to help humanity. He would not back down; he would destroy them. He shot his line, thankful that he had enough gas to do this final act.

He brought down the closest one pretty quickly, but realised that he wouldn’t be able to keep up that pace. So he slowed. He flew through the air to the next one. Landing on the ground before he used his line to fly high into the air above the titan, letting gravity bring him down, gaining momentum and slicing at the wrist of the hand that reached for him. He continued down, finally reaching its nape, cutting it open and getting showered in titan blood. On to the next one, it was already reaching for him. He cut of its fingers before running up its arm and dodging the other one. He got to its back and brought it down.

He was too slow to stop the next reaching hand. It grabbed him and was bringing him to its mouth before he struck. He cut the thumb, causing it to drop the hold it had on his right leg. He landed, pain coursing through his right leg, probably sprained from the tight grip of the titan. Nearly making him unable to move. Great. He shot his line again, aiming for the beat’s eyes, he stabbed them both, blinding the titan before he moved to its neck, just missing the snapping teeth of another titan. He jumped, watching as the titans mouth missed him and instead bit the weak spot of his current target. 

He laughed, slightly crazed, he knew he wouldn't be able to take his time anymore there were too many. He was not going to succumb to his wounds, he was going die as fucking titan food. Was he too fucking useless to defeat fucking titans? He screamed. No. He fucking wasn’t. There was no way he would die like all those others. He would die a hero. He screamed again as he charged the next titan. Slicing and cutting and stabbing wherever he could, replacing his blades when necessary; which was almost constantly. 

He took down a few more before he was down to his last two blades, and his last mills of gas. He shot to a roof not that far away. Waiting for the titans to come to him. More tears were cascading down his face now. He was going to die. He could accept that. But not until his last blade. He would kill as many more as he could. He just-. He wanted to grow old, have children. Get out of the fucking scouting legion. He didn’t want to be here in the first place. But if he was going to die, he will die knowing that he was proud. He was proud of himself, for the first time in his life. He was proud that he could fight alongside humanity’s brightest, bravest and strongest. He could call these people his friends. He was going to die; but he tried his hardest; he protected humanity. He was a member of the scouting legion. He was going to die, but at least he could say that he lived. For once, he did not cower, he was strong. Jean Kirstein: Humanity’s bravest. He liked the sound of that.

**Author's Note:**

> Have a nice day!


End file.
